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The Caps venture into the Wild tonight at 7 pm. Considering the Wild don’t suck anymore, this game could be a challenge for the Caps.

The Wild are 9-4 this season and third in the Central Division, making them a shoe in for the Playoffs thus far. In contrast, the Caps are 8-7 (barely over .500) and are second in the Metropolitan Division, also making them a shoe in for the Playoffs so far.

What the stats haven’t told you? The Caps have been playing a more aggressive game of the late and have been really pressuring the other teams defense in the past few games. Since the Wild have a solid defense this season, the question of if the Caps offense can prevail remains. With Ovechkin back in the lineup and the power play as well as penalty kill on fire, the Wild are in for a treat.

Things to look out for

5 on 5 play-The Caps have been meh at best and with the Wild looking to continue their four game winning streak, they’ll be on fire for the start of the game looking for stupid mistakes by the Caps which could turn into a golden opportunity from them.

Alex Ovechkin-This is his second game back after his injury and with a player on the Blues holding the league record for highest goals scored, look out for him to make waves in the scoring department this eve.

The power play-The power play was on FIRE Tuesday night and with all this new found success, the Caps aren’t going to shy away from the net if they get the chance.

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Would you believe me if I told you Tom Wilson would score his first NHL point AND goal in the same night? No? I wouldn’t believe it either, but it happened. Tom Wilson scored both his first NHL point and first NHL goal against the Isles on Tuesday night. The icing on the cake? Wilson got a standing O from Caps fans. Talk about class, folks.

While I missed the first period writing my Common App essay (it’s about hockey, give me a break), it looks like I didn’t miss much. The Caps got most of their work done in the second and third periods of the game.

Ovechkin had a big game coming back from his undisclosed “upper body” injury with two goals in the second. Not bad for a guy coming back from injury, eh? The second continued to be productive for the Caps with Mojo scoring a power play goal making it 2-2, yes you read that correctly. Even more notable was Alex Urboms first goal as a Cap assisted by Tom Wilson, recieving his first NHL point. I can dig it. The score was now 3-2, but it didn’t stop there. This is where Ovechkin’s second goal of the game came into play. He scored a very Ovechkin like goal from the Ovechkin spot and, well, what more could you expect?

That was the end of their stellar second and with a 5-2 lead you might;ve gone to sleep on the good laurels that the Caps would win, which they did, but you would’ve missed Wilson’s goal in the third.

Here comes the third and now comes Tommy Wilsons first NHL goal. It was a beaut. A pass from the great 8 himself and the biscuit finds its way to the basket. Not bad for a 19 year old, eh? Hope someone got that one on tape.

My opinion on the game? The Caps are finally starting to play like themselves and they’re doing it in a big way. Scoring goals and creating chances. A team like this is one to be feared in the new Metro division.

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After Monday’s disappointing loss, the Caps take to the ice in MSG again to either take the decisive lead or split it down the middle.

The importance of game 4? Huge. If the Caps had won Monday night, they could take the series tonight. Since they didn’t, they have the ability to take a 3 game lead which could very easily lead to a series win in 5 games. If they lose tonight, the Rangers and Caps will be tied at 2 a piece, forcing the series to go to at least a game 6.

Clearly, this game will be one of the most if not the most important game of the series. It decides who has the edge, especially with Washington returning to home turf after tonight, as well as how long the series will be which can become the difference between a team rested up and prepared for the second round or a team that’s had barely enough time to turn around.

The Caps holding ht series lead at 2-1 clearly show the Rangers only real threat over the Caps is Lundvquist. He’s come up big for the Rangers and there’s no doubt he will tonight. But with Staal back, the Caps can expect a little more coming from the Rangers lackluster defense. Otherwise, this game should be in the books for the Caps if they can stay focused and don’t get too comfortable with any lead. It is the Playoffs, after all.

Hopefully, the Caps will take New York seriously tonight to secure the win and the series lead. If not, it’s any team’s series.

Tonight marks the last regular season game before they take on one of four teams in the first round of the Playoffs. Traditionally, when your team’s in, big players usually sit out or don’t play hard to save themselves for the Playoffs, where it really matters. With the Caps on such a hot streak, completely sending the game down the crapper wouldn’t help with their groove.Especially with the fact the Bruins still haven’t locked their spot in. Meaning, the Caps could have significant influence in where they land. The Caps don’t need to treat this game like the game against the Jets, but wining this game would have it’s advantages.

If the Caps win, hey’ll enter the Playoffs off a win which could likely give them a confidence boost. Another positive to a W is the fact that where Boston lands also affects who the Caps play. Personally speaking; the Caps playing the Islanders or Senators isn’t nearly as appealing as them playing the Leafs or Rangers, in terms of likely hood to make it to the second round.

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In case you were wondering, that is a reference to a movie. Which one, I have no idea. My mom just says it when she feels particularly adventurous when driving. Moving on, the Caps are playing their most meaningful game of the season tonight. Two teams go in tonight with a shot at the Playoffs, and one leaves in the Playoffs. As of now, the Caps are first place in the Southeast Division and therefore third in the conference. If the Jets were to win, they’d clinch and have enough points to take over the Caps place as first in the Division and effectively clinch the third spot in the division.

Working my magic with POW (that’s a lie, but I tried), there’s a small chance that the Caps could make the Playoffs if they win their next to and possibly even take the Southeast Division if the jets lose their last game. That’s not to say this game isn’t important, it’d be a lot nicer and easier if they could clinch tonight and not have to battle the last tow games of the season.

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While enjoying the absolute blowout by the Caps (they’ve finally found their groove this season) I saw some “Crosby>>>Ovi” business. This has been going on sense they both came into the league and I’m sick of it. Yes, they are two of the most elite players in the league. Is Crosby more so than Ovechkin? That’s up to you to decide, I’m not getting into that. What I am going to get into is the fact these players play two different positions, play on two different teams, and have two different systems. They are therefore not comparable to one another and their individual talent should be respected.

First off, Ovechkin is a winger. He’s played both left and right wing with varying success. Crosby is a center. Yes they’re both top notch scorers but they have different positions thus different jobs. Centers tend to be players who create plays and set up goals while wingers tend to score the goals (some hockey 101 for ya). Is this always the case? Absolutely not. But Crosby is also well known for impressive point streaks, not just goal streaks.

Last I checked, but I may be wrong, Ovechkin plays for the Washington Capitals and Crosby plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Another fun tidbit; they play in different divisions and therefore, against different opponants. Do they play some of the same teams? Yes, they do. But the frequency is completely different. The different division they’re in as well as their team mates can influence goals scored as well as points. A team playing the Panthers, per say, is going to have more scoring opportunities and goals scored than a team playing the Chicago Blackhawks. You feel me?

Finally, the systems are different. This is SO SO SO important and I feel like some nitwits out there don’t get the relation. Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we? Remember Hunters infamous defense first system, the one where games were decided by one goal and those goals were few and far between? Yeah, kinda hard to score 50 goals when the emphasize is on dump’n’chase and defense. Bylsma’s system is completely different and focused on the strengths of the team, which is obviously scoring. While Oates is the Caps head coach now, and he does support a more offense system, I think you see what I’m getting at. When Ovi played under Boudreau, for the most part, his goal tallies were higher than under the more defensive Hunter system.

All I’m getting at is that Ovechkin and Crosby are two completely different players and should be respected as such. So please, for the love of all things hockey, put this stupid “rivalry” aside. It’s pointless and is as useful as comparing apples and oranges.

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Puck drop is in less than an hour tonight and for two teams in contention for the Playoffs, every point counts. After the Islanders-Jets game went to OT, while the Jets lost, the margin seperating the two Southeast division rivals is one point. That’s right. One. Uno. Une. Ein. Yksi. I got a little carried away with the Google translate, but my point remains. That’s not a comfortable margin. At all. If the Caps tank this game they tank their chance of making the Playoffs with only three games left against tough rivals.

The Caps history against the Habs is rocky at best with mostly losses in the clubs early years. The Caps have’t fared too much better as the years have progressed. 2010, anyone? *shudder* Playoff series out of a horror movie aside, the Caps are 1-1 against the Canadiens this season, but here’s hoping the Caps of late (selectively forgetting Sens game Thursday can get the two points and pull away from Winnipeg.